I don’t know what it is, but I can’t resist using that “May The Force Be With You” thing on this date. Sorry, but you’ll probably see another version of it next year if we’re all still around in the blogshpere.
But to get on with today’s real business, I do have another quiz for you.
The usual random selection and also as usual you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating.
Enjoy and good luck.
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Q. 1: What word links vacations to the phonetic alphabet?
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Q. 2: What is the collective noun for a group of owls?
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Q. 3: ‘PL’ is the international car registration for which country?
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Q. 4: What city is also known as the ‘City of 72 Nations’ ?
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Q. 5: What is the highest score that can be awarded by a figure-skating judge?
a) 2 b) 4 c) 6 d) 8 e) 10
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Q. 6: For what operation on the brain was Antonio de Egas Moniz of Portugal awarded the Nobel prize for medicine in 1949?
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Q. 7: Who was prime minster of China under Chairman Mao?
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Q. 8: Which literary characters set out on a journey from the Tabard Inn, Southwark?
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Q. 9: What is the brightest star in the night sky?
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Q. 10: Spain has many famous ‘costas’. A point for each one of the following you can name correctly the four below and a bonus point if you get them all.
Costa _ _ _ _ _ _
Costa _ _ _ _ _
Costa _ _ _ _ _ _
Costa _ _ _ _ _ _
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Q. 11: What name links the writers Kipling, Conrad and Heller?
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Q. 12: As well as being a girl’s best friend Diamonds are a form of which chemical element?
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Q. 13: What is the difference in paddles between canoeing and kayaking?
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Q. 14: In which country is Liberation of Saigon Day on April 30 a public holiday?
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Q. 15: What is created when the loop of a meander of a river is cut off and the river diverted on a different course?
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Q. 16: The number of voting representatives in the House of Representatives was fixed by law in 1911 at what number?
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Q. 17: What color is a Welsh poppy?
a) Blue b) Yellow c) Red d) White
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Q. 18: How many valves does a trumpet have?
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Q. 19: Which is the only American state to begin with the letter ‘P’ ?
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Q. 20: Which band were Living Next Door to Alice in 1976?
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: What word links vacations to the phonetic alphabet?
A. 1: Hotel.
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Q. 2: What is the collective noun for a group of owls?
A. 2: A parliament.
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Q. 3: ‘PL’ is the international car registration for which country?
A. 3: Poland.
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Q. 4: What city is also known as the ‘City of 72 Nations’ ?
A. 4: Tehran.
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Q. 5: What is the highest score that can be awarded by a figure-skating judge?
a) 2 b) 4 c) 6 d) 8 e) 10
A. 5: The correct answer is c) 6.
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Q. 6: For what operation on the brain was Antonio de Egas Moniz of Portugal awarded the Nobel prize for medicine in 1949?
A. 6: Prefrontal lobotomy.
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Q. 7: Who was prime minster of China under Chairman Mao?
A. 7: Chou En-Lai (or Zhou Enlai).
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Q. 8: Which literary characters set out on a journey from the Tabard Inn, Southwark?
A. 8: The pilgrims in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
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Q. 9: What is the brightest star in the night sky?
A. 9: Sirius (The Dog Star).
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Q. 10: Spain has many famous ‘costas’. A point for each one of the following you can name correctly the four below and a bonus point if you get them all.
Costa _ _ _ _ _ _
Costa _ _ _ _ _
Costa _ _ _ _ _ _
Costa _ _ _ _ _ _
A. 10: The correct answers are Costa BLANCA, Costa BRAVA, Costa DORADA, and the Costa DEL SOL
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Q. 11: What name links the writers Kipling, Conrad and Heller?
A. 11: The answer is ‘Joseph’. Joseph Conrad, Joseph Heller and although he was much better known as Rudyard Kipling his first name was also Joseph.
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Q. 12: As well as being a girl’s best friend Diamonds are a form of which chemical element?
A. 12: Carbon.
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Q. 13: What is the difference in paddles between canoeing and kayaking?
A. 13: Canoe paddles have a single face and Kayak paddles a double face.
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Q. 14: In which country is Liberation of Saigon Day on April 30 a public holiday?
A. 14: Vietnam.
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Q. 15: What is created when the loop of a meander of a river is cut off and the river diverted on a different course?
A. 15: Oxbow Lake.
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Q. 16: The number of voting representatives in the House of Representatives was fixed by law in 1911 at what number?
A. 16: The number of voting representatives in the House of Representatives was fixed by law in 1911 at no more than 435, proportionally representing the population of the 50 states.
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Q. 17: What color is a Welsh poppy?
a) Blue b) Yellow c) Red d) White
A. 17: The correct answer is b) Yellow.
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Q. 18: How many valves does a trumpet have?
A. 18: A trumpet has 3 valves.
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Q. 19: Which is the only American state to begin with the letter ‘p’?
A. 19: Pennsylvania.
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Q. 20: Which band were Living Next Door to Alice in 1976?
Well maybe not just so easy a quiz as all that. You’ll find out below, and why I called it that too.
All the usual mixture of questions are here.
And as usual if you get stuck you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!
Enjoy and good luck.
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Q. 1: What city is known as ‘The Big Easy’ ?
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Q. 2: What color are the flowers of the ‘harebell’ ?
a) red b) green c) blue d) yellow
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Q. 3: What is the name of the process in which a solid turns directly into a gas, without passing through the liquid phase?
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Q. 4: What is the largest wild member of the dog family?
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Q. 5: Which element has the symbol ‘Au’ ?
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Q. 6: What is the electrical unit of resistance?
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Q. 7: Who invented the jet engine in 1930?
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Q. 8: How many sheets of paper are there in a ‘ream’ ?
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Q. 9: It is called the ‘Hunter’ and consists of 3 stars, what is the proper name of this constellation?
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Q. 10: What did the British government do on the roads in order to reduce accidents in 1925?
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Q. 11: What is a ‘Flemish giant’ ?
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Q. 12: The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. You get a point if you can name any of the four largest islands that make up this group. (If you can correctly name more than one, give yourself a bonus point for each.)
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Q. 13: If you were ‘purling’, what activity would you be doing?
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Q. 14: Which famous battle was fought on June 18 1815?
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Q. 15: In which country was the world’s first female Prime Minister elected in 1960?
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Q. 16: What is the name of Long John Silver’s parrot?
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Q. 17: This is the name of a famous bicycle manufacturing company, the capital city of a state in the US, and of a writer, poet, soldier, politician, courtier, spy, and explorer in Elizabethan England, what is it?
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Q. 18: Who created the famous sculptures ‘The Thinker’ and ‘The Kiss’ ?
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Q. 19: A lot of us now use it, but what does the acronym ‘VOIP’ stand for?
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Q. 20: Which group’s best-known recording is the 1967 single ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ ?
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: What city is known as ‘The Big Easy’ ?
A. 1: New Orleans is known as ‘The Big Easy’.
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Q. 2: What color are the flowers of the harebell?
a) red b) green c) blue d) yellow
A. 2: The correct answer is c) blue.
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Q. 3: What is the name of the process in which a solid turns directly into a gas, without passing through the liquid phase?
A. 3: The process is called ‘sublimation’.
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Q. 4: What is the largest wild member of the dog family?
A. 4: The wolf.
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Q. 5: Which element has the symbol ‘Au’ ?
A. 5: Gold.
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Q. 6: What is the electrical unit of resistance?
A. 6: The ‘ohm’.
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Q. 7: Who invented the jet engine in 1930?
A. 7: Frank Whittle.
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Q. 8: How many sheets of paper are there in a ‘ream’ ?
A. 8: 500.
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Q. 9: It is called the ‘Hunter’ and consists of 3 stars, what is the proper name of this constellation?
A. 9: It is ‘Orion’s belt’.
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Q. 10: What did the British government do on the roads in order to reduce accidents in 1925?
A. 10: They painted white lines.
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Q. 11: What is a ‘Flemish giant’ ?
A. 11: I’m tempted to give you a point if you said “A big Belgian’ but I won’t. You get the point if you said a Flemish giant was a Rabbit.
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Q. 12: The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. You get a point if you can name any of the four largest islands that make up this group. (If you can correctly name more than one, give yourself a bonus point for each.)
A. 12: The four largest Balearic islands are Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera.
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Q. 13: If you were ‘purling’, what activity would you be doing?
A. 13: You’d be knitting.
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Q. 14: Which famous battle was fought on June 18 1815?
A. 14: The Battle of Waterloo.
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Q. 15: In which country was the world’s first female Prime Minister elected in 1960?
A. 15: Sri Lanka (or Ceylon as it was then – the woman in question being Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike)
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Q. 16: What is the name of Long John Silver’s parrot?
A. 16: Captain Flint.
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Q. 17: This is the name of a famous bicycle manufacturing company, the capital city of a state in the US, and of a writer, poet, soldier, politician, courtier, spy, and explorer in Elizabethan England, what is it?
A. 17: It is ‘Raleigh’. Raleigh is a famous bicycle manufacturing company, Raleigh is the capital city of North Carolina, and the famous Elizabethan was Sir Walter Raleigh.
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Q. 18: Who created the famous sculptures ‘The Thinker’ and ‘The Kiss’ ?
A. 18: Auguste Rodin.
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Q. 19: A lot of us now use it, but what does the acronym ‘VOIP’ stand for?
A. 19: Voice Over Internet Protocol.
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Q. 20: Which group’s best-known recording is the 1967 single ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ ?
Yes, fractions, food, and French Horns are just some of the questions you’ll face if you take this week’s quiz.
A random and challenging assortment, but as usual, if you get stuck, you will find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below. But please, NO cheating!
Enjoy and good luck.
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Q. 1: The name of what American city means “the meadows” in Spanish?
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Q. 2: How many women now regularly wear shoes with heels higher than one inch to work?
a) 15% b) 25% c) 35% d) 45%
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Q. 3: What year was the death penalty abolished in England?
a) 1959 b) 1969 c) 1979 d) 1989
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Q. 4: What number lies halfway between 1/3 and 1/5?
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Q. 5: What was the first nation to give women the right to vote?
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Q. 6: From what type of creature is ‘Bombay duck’ made?
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Q. 7: Which country would you be in if you were skiing in the Dolomites?
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Q. 8: It is the name of a fragrant cosmetic and a city in Germany, what is it?
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Q. 9: In which country did French horns originate?
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Q. 10: What acid is associated with muscles in the body experiencing lack of oxygen?
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Q. 11: In Roman times what was a gladiator armed with, in addition to a dagger and spear?
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Q. 12: From which plant do we get ‘Vanilla’?
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Q. 13: What is ‘Hansen’s disease’ more commonly known as?
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Q. 14: What was the name of the political system in South Africa from 1948 to 1994?
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Q. 15: ‘Wild Marjoram’ is another name for which commonly used herb?
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Q. 16: How deep is one fathom of water?
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Q. 17: How many different letters are used in Roman numerals and what are their values? (A point for each part of the question correctly answered.)
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Q. 18: What common mineral is used to make casts, moulds, blackboard chalk and plaster of Paris?
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Q. 19: What extinct creature got its name from the Portuguese word for stupid? (Hint: the answer is not Congressman.)
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Q. 20: Who created the cartoon characters “The Simpsons”?
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: The name of what American city means “the meadows” in Spanish?
A. 1: Las Vegas.
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Q. 2: How many women now regularly wear shoes with heels higher than one inch to work?
a) 15% b) 25% c) 35% d) 45%
A. 2: The correct answer is b) 25%.
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Q. 3: What year was the death penalty abolished in England?
a) 1959 b) 1969 c) 1979 d) 1989
A. 3: The correct answer is b) 1969.
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Q. 4: What number lies halfway between 1/3 and 1/5?
A. 4: 4/15ths
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Q. 5: What was the first nation to give women the right to vote?
A. 5: New Zealand, in 1893.
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Q. 6: From what type of creature is ‘Bombay duck’ made?
A. 6: Fish (specifically a Bummalo fish).
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Q. 7: Which country would you be in if you were skiing in the Dolomites?
A. 7: Italy.
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Q. 8: It is the name of a fragrant cosmetic and a city in Germany, what is it?
A. 8: Cologne.
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Q. 9: In which country did French horns originate?
A. 9: Germany.
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Q. 10: What acid is associated with muscles in the body experiencing lack of oxygen?
A. 10: Lactic acid.
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Q. 11: In Roman times what was a gladiator armed with, in addition to a dagger and spear?
A. 11: A net.
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Q. 12: From which plant do we get ‘Vanilla’?
A. 12: The Orchid.
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Q. 13: What is ‘Hansen’s disease’ more commonly known as?
A. 13: Leprosy.
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Q. 14: What was the name of the political system in South Africa from 1948 to 1994?
A. 14: Apartheid.
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Q. 15: ‘Wild Marjoram’ is another name for which commonly used herb?
A. 15: Oregano.
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Q. 16: How deep is one fathom of water?
A. 16: 1.82 Meters or 6 feet.
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Q. 17: How many different letters are used in Roman numerals and what are their values? (A point for each part of the question correctly answered.)
A. 17: Seven or VII (They are, I = 1, V = 5, X = 10, L = 50, C = 100, D = 500, M = 1000)
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Q. 18: What common mineral is used to make casts, moulds, blackboard chalk and plaster of Paris?
A. 18: Gypsum.
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Q. 19: What extinct creature got its name from the Portuguese word for stupid? (Hint: the answer is not Congressman.)
A. 19: The Dodo.
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Q. 20: Who created the cartoon characters “The Simpsons”?
The World Wide Web, created by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, turned 25 years old this year, 2014.
There has never been anything like it before, certainly not as regards the impact it has made on society and the way we live our lives. Many of those changes are good, many are not so good and a few are downright annoying.
Here’s my take on some of them.
To concentrate on the good parts first, the one thing the www has done, for those who can use it effectively, is to give access to information that was previously only available to the elite few who managed to claw their way into the lofty heights of academia, or who worked in places where information was readily available. Now the same information is accessible at the touch of a button to anyone and everyone with a smart phone, tablet or computer.
Another benefit, in my view anyway, is that is has sent a massive wake-up call to telephone providers world wide, many of whom were fast asleep, content to rake in healthy profits from antiquated systems. No longer do we have to settle for slow and temperamental data transfer lines. Nowadays, particularly in the last few years, people are demanding systems that can cope with download streams in the gigabyte range. If you are old enough to remember the first modems you will know you wasted too much of your life trying to download at 12Kb/sec., sometimes less.
Freedom is also a welcome by-product of the World Wide Web.
The freedom to work in any country in the world, from virtually any country in the world is one big plus – it is for me anyhow. Another one I particularly like is the freedom to watch TV programs that I like, when I like, no longer tied to the schedules of some brainless bean-counter working for a broadcasting company. And the freedom to have your say on things as and when the mood takes you – they call that blogging don’t you know! – is also a great advantage to the ordinary person.
As is the freedom to disseminate information across the globe instantly, as Mr Snowden ably demonstrated, although I would hazard a guess that the powers that be would not agree with me on that one.
Indeed, this is the one aspect of the www that really bothers big brother.
China for example is one country where access is controlled by the state. Coincidentally this year also marks the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, you’ll find articles about that if you do a search, but probably not in China. They get away with it because they are not a democracy and do not pretend to be one.
In other countries, like the good old Land Of The (Not So) Free (Anymore)), the powers still like to con their people into believing that they are living in a democratic nation and that the people have the power to vote for this or that. But think for a moment, when was the last time you got to vote on whether to start a war, or whether to give $billions of your money to the greedy banksters to pay themselves huge bonuses and gamble away the rest?
It is because they need to keep the pretence of democracy going, that they do not yet have the confidence to start overtly censoring the internet. But they do all they can to snoop on what people are reading, or writing, or looking at.
This is where the freedom the www and associated technology provides can also be a negative, when it is used by governments to surveil us and record every piece of data they can. If they were doing this selectively and targeting terrorists and criminals no one would be too worried. But they are doing it to all of us, guilty and innocent alike.
They are also doing everything they can think of to impose taxes on internet commerce – of course they have to coz they’re stoney broke.
The www has revolutionized business practices and created all sorts of new commerce opportunities, Amazon perhaps being the best example of a company that has gone from nothing to a multi-billion dollar business in just a few years.
Communication and social interaction are also areas where the www has liberated the ordinary person – first with email and more recently with social media. In the near future expect to see social media expanding to become much more than individual platforms such as Facebook or Twitter. We are already seeing many new applications that are allowing people to communicate more widely, more easily and more often.
Another negative is that the World Wide Web has unwittingly facilitated the proliferation of pornography and violence, and is teaching a generation of morons all the wrong things. Things that will ensure they become a burden on society, not an asset.
And it has also opened a whole new environment in which criminals can operate. Millions of dollars are being stolen every day through scams, confidence tricks and outright theft.
You could say (and I frequently do) that people dumb enough to fall for these scams deserve all they get, or all they lose, is perhaps a better way of putting it. You know, the idiots who believe they really have won a lottery they didn’t buy a ticket for, or who think that Dr Umbungo Watanga from Nigeria is being truthful when he tells them that someone they never heard of has left them $25 million and all they need to do is send all their personal details and a few thousand dollars to unlock the fortune that awaits them. There really is one born every minute it seems!
All that said, and twenty-five years on, the www is still in its infancy. We have come a long way in the past 25 years, but we have really only scratched the surface as regards what the web has the potential to do to further improve our daily lives.
Where the vision to develop the www will come from in anyone’s guess. The only thing we know for sure is that the initiative won’t come from governments or their bureaucratic servants, simply because the people we elect to those positions do not have the required intelligence.
So its up to you. If you have any great ideas you want to share, send me an email.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the man who created the World Wide Web.
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